Monthly Archives: June 2016

Shelly is a YouTube vlogger. She was diagnosed with a range of complex medical conditions at an early age and spent most of her childhood at home, in bed. She has recently been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS).

For 30 Under 30, Shelly talks about how the internet, vlogging and YouTube have allowed her to regain a social life.

I’m a show off. Ever since I was five, I wanted to be an actress. I wanted to be on the stage. Not on TV or anything but on the stage! I saw musicals and stuff when I was a kid and I was like “I want to be up there! I want to do that!”

To have to give that up was difficult.

I got sick when I was seven years old with a stomach problem. I just thought it was stomach flu but I never really got over it. Then at 13, I had to drop out of school when I was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalopathy (ME) which slowly, steadily got worse.
It just drained the hell out of me and gave me multiple problems at the same time.

Then, at 15, I was diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) which meant that I couldn’t take medication.

Losing the life I was meant to have

I was not happy at all. I didn’t go out, didn’t go clubbing, didn’t meet boyfriends and girlfriends, I didn’t meet friends, I didn’t have all the kind of firsts you’re meant to have.

I didn’t have any friends because the only friends you have at that age are school friends aren’t they? I couldn’t even hang out with them on the weekend because I couldn’t get out of bed.

I became a loner really fast.

I got the internet in the end and met friends. Then I found a group of young people with ME and the internet opened me back up to having a social life. It wasn’t a physical social life as I still couldn’t get out of the house, but at least I was talking to people again!

I’d become really shy because I didn’t know how to talk to people. Being socially isolated, I hadn’t learnt how to talk as an adult and was still stuck as a 13 year old in a 21 year old body.

Becoming a vlogger

One day, I came across YouTube. I was hooked and came across English vlogger Carrie Hope Fletcher. I was looking at her videos, the way she edits and makes videos made sense to me. So I just started making videos randomly! I then found out about BookTube via a fellow ME Booktuber and friend, Daisy (AtThousandLivesofDaisy). That’s when my two interests came together – books and vlogging!

Benefits of vlogging

YouTube is a great platform and vlogging is a great way of opening up to the world without having to fit to parameters. You can do it at five o’clock in the morning, you can do it on your phone, you can do it without all the tech wizardry. I edit on Windows Movie Maker, I’ve never bought a piece of editing software in my life, I’ve never bought anything in my life to do YouTube. You literally just do it and start talking.

It’s a great way to spread awareness. You could vlog your day and show how your illness affects you. Being disabled, being bed bound, being chronically ill, you are limited and kind of stuck in your world sometimes. Vlogging just opens the world.

It’s a great way to take your mind off of life. I haven’t been doing very well so this has been my outlet. I can’t go out and do the things I want to do so this is my version of going out, talking to people, going to book groups and things like that.

This is what illness looks like

I think it’s great when disabled vloggers talk about their impairments on YouTube. You are showing real life and what it takes to get up out of bed and get ready and have as much of a “normal” day as possible like everybody else does. The only way people are going to notice is if you show or tell people. Otherwise you’d just be in the corner, in the dark, where nobody can see.

I don’t talk about the bad times, I don’t want to. I’m British with a stiff upper lip. Keep Calm and Carry On! I try to put a positive spin on things. I don’t want to sound like I’m a grumpy person moaning all the time but I’m sick. I suppose it’s just being honest and showing people that this is what illness looks like, don’t ignore it.

Shelly is sharing her story as part of our 30 Under 30 campaign. This is where we are releasing one story a day throughout June from disabled people under 30 who are doing extraordinary things. Read other stories from 30 Under 30.

Chris Amor is a 27-year-old university student, studying animation. Chris has dwarfism and experiences regular harassment, making him feel excluded and dehumanised.

As part of 30 Under 30 he talks to us about challenging attitudes and putting height discrimination on the same level as other forms of discrimination. Currently, he’s working on a short animated film which aims to do exactly that.

Attitudes can be a barrier

A lot of people still think it’s socially acceptable to mock and effectively dehumanise people with dwarfism. For me, the physical side doesn’t get me down, it’s the attitudes that other people have towards it. There’s still a big stigma around dwarfism and the way we’re portrayed as freaks.

People can also be scared to talk to me because they think I’ll be easily offended. I’d just prefer people to talk to me like anyone else, not focus on my dwarfism, just treat me like a person. I don’t want people feeling sorry for me either. I just want people to not care about how tall someone is. It doesn’t define who you are, at all.

Dating is another big thing that gets to me. There’s still a big stigma about men being shorter than women or couples with extreme height difference. People tell me I should date another person with dwarfism. Again, it’s dehumanising. It’s putting body before personality. Of course I’d be happy to date a person with dwarfism, but I want to date someone for who they are not just how they look. Why should it matter if the woman is taller?

Photo credit: Paul Jackson, Worcester News

Experiencing harassment at work

I’ve worked at a local pub for a few years. At first, I mostly did night shifts and of course people are drinking, and I was specifically targeted. I’ve had people run up behind me and try to pick me up, people patting me on the head, talking to me randomly about really personal and inappropriate things. People even take photos or secretly film me, purely just to portray me as being different.

It got to a point where I had a breakdown and told my family and my managers at work about it. They were very understanding and agreed that I should do more day shifts instead. It’s a lot better. And it’s nice to be able to just get on with your job without constantly feeling paranoid.

The effect of endless harassment

Endless harassment can create paranoia. You just constantly feel paranoid if there’s someone behind you or if someone’s got their phone out, are they going to take a photo of me? And it’s the principle behind it – that they’re going to share it on social media as a joke.

Because I’ve being experiencing it for a long time it can be difficult when I’m in certain environments not to be too self-conscious. For some people, it can lead to depression and even suicide. Comments and insults can be more damaging that physical assault, certainly for me – it’s just that concept of feeling excluded from society. And it also affects my confidence when it comes to working and dating.

I’m making a film to raise awareness

A lot of films about disabled people and their lives are focused on the physical or mental restrictions that they have but my film is purely focused on the attitudes of others. Through animation, I’m re-creating some of the worst things that I’ve personally experienced and things that other people have told me, exactly from that person’s perspective. Some people might see these things as just a little joke and say you lack a sense of humour, but it’s not about that. I’m happy to have the piss taken out of me for how I am as a person, not because of how I was born.

I hope the film will raise awareness and change perceptions. I want to put heightism on the same grounds of unacceptance that racism is. And I want to challenge the dehumanising ideas about what you shouldn’t and shouldn’t do – like disabled people shouldn’t be in a relationship with a non-disabled person or you can’t do this job.

Photo credit: Paul Jackson, Worcester News

How we can change attitudes

I think a lot of it’s to do with media representation. Peter Dinklage, from Game of Thrones, is one of the few actors with dwarfism who plays a role that’s not related to his height. Some of the earlier roles for people with dwarfism like Willow and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, they were picked for those roles because of how they look. It gives them a label and a separation in that sense. I’m not saying that actors with dwarfism can’t play those kinds of roles, but height shouldn’t limit what they can and can’t do.

I also think education is key to changing attitudes. When my film is finished, I want to send it to some film festivals and make sure it’s spread nationwide. It’s not about feeling sorry for someone. It’s about encouraging people to think “How would I feel if I was in that body and was being treated differently because of something I can’t help?”. One day I hope I can walk down the street and nobody cares about my height.

We put a shout out on our online community and social media, to find out what the best things about being a disabled dad or dad to a disabled child are. You didn’t disappoint.

Happy Father’s Day to all you legends!

Hughie on Facebook: “I have an inspirational 11 year old boy who faces daily challenges but always has a smile on his face. He never lets his disability stop him from having fun and reaching his goals. He’s also supported by his little brother who is just amazing with him. Proud to be their dad. You are both amazing and love you all the world.”

Zec on our community: “My daughters are now 21 and 23 but I’m gramps to Oscar who’s 20 months old. Since he could sit up he’s loved sitting on my lap in the wheelchair. People seem fascinated when we go round the supermarket with him sat on my lap. Now he tries to push me in the wheelchair and he moves it.

The best thing is that he doesn’t bat an eyelid at me in a wheelchair, to him it’s just what gramps does and why wouldn’t he.”

Charlimaisdad on our community: “The best thing about being a dad to Charli-Mai is seeing her achieve milestones, and to see how much she gets out of life.”

FoodFatigue on our community: “For me it’s raising and seeing that my daughter doesn’t bat an eyelid when seeing other people with disabilities. She’s developed a great empathy and it’s great to see.”

Guy on Facebook: “I have had the wonderful privilege of easing and shaping the difficult life of an amazingly inspirational young woman, and it’s such a pleasure to see her flourish now!”

Speedincaesar on our community: “I love being a dad! Watching my daughter grow unfazed by differences. I love the conversations we have. Being a dad in a wheelchair has also given me the opportunity to meet other families with kids that may not have ever met a disabled person before.”

Martin on our community: “Being a dad is the one thing I’m most proud to be in my life. Having a child with disabilities just amplifies that honour and pride. The two younger children get our eldest involved in everything they do, they see when doors need to be opened and recognise places his wheelchair won’t fit.

An amazing moment for me was at a football match recently. I campaign for better access to stadiums, and one of the things I asked for is accessible family seating so that families can enjoy a game sitting together. In our life it’s often our eldest getting looked after by his younger brothers, but at a football match I took this picture, where clearly big brother, is looking after the youngest. Had a lump in my throat when taking this, and still do when I see it. It’s pictures like this that make being a dad the best thing in the world. Of course it may be Father’s Day on Sunday, but I couldn’t be half the dad I am without the support of my wife, and their mum. Like football, being a dad or a mum to me is a team thing. And when we’re on form, we make one hell of a team.”

Like this:

Sarah is a 29 year-old blogger who writes about beauty, lifestyle and living with chronic pain, as well as running #SpooniePost – a project to support fellow chronically ill people. She has a Masters in English and she’s also a trustee for Enhance the UK and the editor of their new online magazine, Liability Magazine.

For 30 Under 30, Sarah has written a guest blog about her passion for beauty and society’s problem with people who don’t ‘look disabled’.

I’ve experienced quite a lot of judgement, negativity and ableism over the last few years. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve also had so many positive things happen too, but I wanted to address something that seems to be a common occurrence: the view that some disabled people don’t ‘look disabled’.

I don’t know where this skewed idea of what a disabled person looks like has come from, but I’m getting a bit tired of hearing that I ‘don’t look sick’, or I’m ‘too pretty to be in a wheelchair.’

Disability doesn’t discriminate

I’m a 29 year old woman who suffers with a long list of conditions that I won’t bore you with, but ultimately, I live with chronic pain. I use a powered wheelchair, various splints and compression supports, and I don’t ‘look sick’. Do you know why? Because disability doesn’t discriminate; my appearance has absolutely no bearing on my health.

How is pain supposed to be represented on the body? You could see the suitcases under my eyes from not sleeping due to the pain, if I didn’t hide them with concealer. You could tell me I look pale and ill if I hadn’t added foundation and blusher to my morning routine. Should I be covered from head-to-toe in bruises because then it’s visible? Then an outsider can see, and then they believe my pain is real. Then I’ll ‘look disabled.’

Should I not care about my appearance because I use wheels instead of legs?

I make an effort whenever I leave the house. I make it my mission to go out at least once a week (unless I’m in a flare-up), even if it is just to the Post Office. I brush my hair and I always, always, do my makeup. I’m going out, once in seven days, I want to look presentable, I want to look cute, and make an effort. Should I not care about my appearance because I use wheels instead of legs? Should I not wear heels because I can’t walk in them?

I am just as entitled to slap on some lippy, blend out a smoky eye, contour my face like Kim Kardashian and rock stilettos as much as the next person, and my wheelchair, my disability shouldn’t determine whether I should or not. I’ve seen the sideways looks, heard the snide comments, and I’m here to tell you that disabled people have the same interests and insecurities as able-bodied people. I love beauty, I love playing with makeup, it makes the little girl inside of me happy; so when it’s time to go out, I do my best to make sure I present myself in a way that makes me feel good. After all, I put all these products on my face for my benefit.

Doing my makeup is a form of self-care for me

I’m a girly-girl, I love makeup, hair, lashes, nails; and being in constant pain has absolutely no impact on the way I look when I leave my house. Doing my makeup is a form of self-care for me, it makes me feel confident and it helps with my mental health. I know I’d feel self-conscious if I went out without some concealer at least. I don’t always put a full-face on if I’m just popping to the shop, but sometimes I do, and that’s my choice. Not for one second am I saying that you should wear makeup to feel better about yourself, because I’m not, it just helps ME take on the world.

The perception of disability is looking like you’re suffering

But because I do wear makeup and I am disabled, there’s negative comments and misunderstanding among some. ‘Why make an effort, nobody will want you anyway…?’ ‘She’s wearing makeup, there’s clearly nothing wrong with her,’ ‘she must be better,’ – if only cosmetics had the ability to eliminate disability! This archaic way of thinking is still very much ingrained in some people as they don’t see the person, they see the disability; and it appears that the perception of disability is ‘looking disabled,’ looking like you’re suffering, being different. If you can’t comprehend that disabled people are so much more than their disability, your view is so outdated.

Wearing makeup does not make me or anyone else with a visible or invisible illness any less disabled; it doesn’t change our conditions in any way whatsoever. And no matter whether I wear a truck-load of makeup, wear the highest heels, have tattoos and piercings, it shouldn’t make you question if I’m faking, miraculously better or disabled.

Grace Mandeville is a popular YouTube vlogger, as well as an actor, model and blogger. However, Grace says she just spends her whole life on Twitter!

As part of 30 Under 30 she talks to us about making videos, attitudes and her top tips for getting started on YouTube.

How I started doing YouTube videos

I was going for an audition and I was talking to some of the other people in there and they were like ‘Oh I have a show reel on YouTube’. Suddenly I thought, with acting you have to wait for someone to say ‘yes you can have this role’ and tell you what to do, but with YouTube you can just do it yourself, there’s no waiting.

I was born with what’s called a foreshortened limb. I just say I’ve got one hand – my arm ends just below the elbow. I found it really easy breaking into YouTube as a disabled person. I didn’t talk about my arm for quite a long time, just because I didn’t think it was an important thing to mention. It doesn’t define me. But then I did a collab with another YouTuber and there was loads of horrible comments about my arm on their video. That’s what upset me more – I didn’t think it was fair to them.

So I did a video and started talking about it. My audience has been really accepting and if that means that 75,000 people in the world have changed their attitudes towards it, then I’m happy with that!

Attitudes

I’ve had a few negative comments online. I did a video called ‘I have one hand’ and started it by making a joke saying my sister flushed it down the toilet, then I end up telling them the truth. I got a few people commenting saying ‘it’s all good, in a few years’ time you’ll be able to hide that and make your arm look normal again with the prosthetics that are being built these days.’ And I was like ‘no, did you not watch the video? I just said ‘I’m happy the way I am and I don’t want to change it.’ So they’re not exactly trolls but those are the comments that get to me. They obviously still don’t get what I’m trying to say.

There can be negative attitudes in the TV world too. Not necessarily from actors but more like casting directors. There are a lot of auditions that I go for, where I turn up and they’re just looking for disabled people which is cool because I think it’s a step in the right direction and they need to include more diversity, but I want to go for parts because of my acting not because I have one hand. And that’s a big thing that I want to change so badly. For people to focus on the skills. Basically – just give me a good acting job!

Role models

There are very few disabled people on YouTube so I encourage it as much as possible. Even though I’m one of the few people doing it, I don’t see myself as a role model at all. What a lovely thing though. I do get nice messages from young disabled people. Especially on YouTube because I think it’s such an accessible way to connect people and on Twitter as well.

My top tips for breaking into YouTube

Talk about something you’re interested in

Don’t just talk about make-up because you think that’s a cool think to talk about. I couldn’t talk about make-up but I love watching the videos. Which is why we do comedy.

Don’t make them too long

Make your videos short and be concise. They can always watch more of your videos if they want more of you, but you don’t want them to lose interest.

Be topical

If you want your channel to grow, be topical. We did a sketch on Valentine’s Day that was about Valentine’s Day. So you can tweet it out on Valentine’s Day and everyone that’s interested in Valentine’s Day will watch your video. You don’t always have to be topical but it is good.

Get people involved

Make videos with people you want to make videos. I make them with my sister. Even if they annoy you, they might be better on camera than you!

Go for it

The great thing about it is you don’t need anyone’s permission – apart from your parents if you’re young. So you should just do it. I really wish that I did it like three years before I actually started it!

Nic Hamilton is a racing driver by profession and is currently competing in the British Touring Car Championship. He was born with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy and has caused a stir in the racing world as one of the few disabled racers on the track. He is now setting up XeedX, a website he hopes will inspire and motivate people from all walks of life.

As part of our 30 Under 30 campaign, Nic talks about getting into racing, setting up XeedX and how he has exceeded expectations throughout his life.

I always wanted to do racing. My brother Lewis had started to race when he was eight years old and we were following him and supporting him throughout his career. I was at every race, every weekend and it’s something that I always wanted to do but didn’t think it was possible due to my condition.

I had a little go in a car park when I was seven. It didn’t go too well. I ended up crashing into a kerb and down a ditch! My legs weren’t strong enough to operate the pedals. It was pretty much a no go for me at that point. It wasn’t looking good for me as that’s normally the time when you’d start your career in motorsport. It wasn’t until I was around 17 or 18 that we thought it might be possible.

Making adjustments

Cerebral palsy isn’t really built for doing all the strength you need to drive a car. I don’t think people realise how physical it is and how fit you have to be. I’ve had to really build up my strength, do my stretches and have a lot of physio.

I’ve had to adapt the car but I try and keep it as standard as possible. I still have pedals but I do have a hand clutch on the steering wheel so I have two pedals instead of three. The pedals are a little wider than standard so I have a bigger area to put my feet when I’m accelerating or braking.

To start with, it was very difficult. The first task was to obtain my race licence. Normally, for non-disabled people, it would take around two weeks. You just need to prove that you can drive a car at high speeds.

I passed the test first time, no problems. However, the governing body for motor sport had a lot of questions to ask in terms of my condition. It was quite difficult because they were really coming down hard on me and wanting every single little detail. It ended up taking me four months to get it and then every time I renewed it, it was always an issue.

However, since they’ve seen that I’m beating non-disabled people and that I’m making quite a name for myself, it hasn’t been an issue. Originally it was tough, but now it feels like I’m treated as an equal. I’m just trying to do the best job I can, be the best I can be and see where my career takes me.

Setting up XeedX

I basically thought XeedX up in my bedroom. I wanted to see if there was a way to use what I’m about and use the opportunities I’ve been given to give something back to other people.

I wanted to try and start a movement of people exceeding opportunities in their own way and wanted to put everyone on the same level. As much as everyone has a role model to look up to, people need to realise that they are most likely a role model to someone else also. I want to start moving out of the limelight and focus on people who deserve it more. It will be a way to motivate and inspire people.

My whole thing is being told I’d never walk to then going on to racing a race car. I managed to exceed all expectations of what everyone had of me and what I had of myself.

Throughout life, you’re always exceeding expectations. It doesn’t have to be anything spectacular, it could just be getting up and running to the shop or doing something you’d never normally do or something that you didn’t think was possible. I want people to start showing us what they’re doing.

The whole point of XeedX is to help people be proud of who they are and to make them realise that they are as important to society and the world as anybody else. If you put your mind to it, you can really push your limits and exceed expectations in any way that you can.

Nic is sharing his story as part of our 30 Under 30 campaign. This is where we are releasing one story a day throughout June from disabled people under 30 who are doing extraordinary things. Read other stories from 30 Under 30.

Oliver Hellowell is a young nature and wildlife photographer who happens to have Down’s syndrome. This Nature Photography Day, Oliver tells us what photography means to him.

I was about 10 years old when I first started taking pictures. I like wildlife, I like birds and I like the landscape and taking pictures of the trees. I like water and I like going for walks out into ‘the wild’ and the countryside.

We once had an exhibition and lots of people came to see my pictures. I gave a speech and we sold lots of pictures and with the money I bought a Chinese takeaway for us on the Sunday night when we finished, and bought a week in a holiday cottage in Wales in the middle of nowhere! I’m very proud when I have an exhibition.

My fans say ‘that’s amazing!’ about my pictures and write messages to me. I like it when we get more places to put on the map!

You should give photography a go. Just do it. Just go out there and do what you want!

As part of 30 Under 30, Oliver shares the top 10 photographs that he has taken.

Canada Geese Flying

This is my all-time favourite image. I have a canvas of it in my bedroom. This is my best one with the three Canada geese flying.

Clown fish in an anemone

I took this through the thick glass of an aquarium which is very difficult. I got the clown fish just right – it’s a really good picture.

Cormorant

I took this one and the cormorant was in the tree and looking out and I got it.

Grey Squirrel

I was on a day out with my friend Adrian and I got this picture of a squirrel. I got it straight on and he’s got his paws up eating and everything it’s brilliant.

Red Kite

I took this at the International Centre for Birds of Prey in Newent. I love the sharpness of this one and the brightness of the eye. It’s just very cool!

River Dart in Devon

This is a long shutter speed shot which I’m very pleased with. It takes a bit of effort and you have to keep the camera dead still or on a tripod. I love the colours in the water.

Single swan

I waited as all the swans bobbed their heads up and down in and out of the water to pick up the food which had just been given out and sunk to the bottom. I waited to catch a shot with just one head and beak showing.

Tulips

I said to my mum, “Mum you know those red flowers outside in the corner? Well, look! I really got them!”

From the ground

When I’d just taken this, I called my mum over to where I was standing, pointed to the ground and said, “see that bit of ground there? I’ve just got it just right! See the little green leaves and the light? I got that perfect!”

Watersmeet in Devon

I was very pleased with this long shutter-speed shot. I got it by standing my camera on a rock.

Jordanne Whiley is a Paralympian, eight time Grand Slam champion and Britain’s most decorated female tennis player of all time. She was born with osteogenesis, more commonly know as brittle bone disease.

With Rio 2016 fast approaching, Jordanne is training hard in the hopes of getting double gold. As part of 30 Under 30, she talks about how she got into tennis, role models and her other passion in life, singing.

When I was three years old, my dad took me out to Israel because he was competing in a tennis tournament. I was just going out with my mum and he was playing a match one day and I just wanted to play tennis but obviously I couldn’t. My dad’s friend gave me a racket and ball and I just started hitting it. Then it was all over Israeli news and newspapers. Basically, it all just kicked off because I was three, in a wheelchair with my legs in plaster playing tennis.

I became professional around the time I was 16. I’d just qualified for Beijing Paralympics and I wasn’t expected to but I got the wild card. I actually qualified on my sixteenth birthday so that was a nice surprise! When I came back I quit academic studies and became a professional tennis player.

Tennis is such a great game. You have fun and the social life is great. It really helps you become comfortable with your impairment as you meet loads of different disabled people. It can really help you accept yourself.

Role Models

When I was growing up, I didn’t really have any role models to look up to. I don’t really like looking up to celebrities and people like that because I don’t know them. They could turn out to be something they’re not.

If I looked up to anyone, I’d want them to be a real person, not a celebrity. For example, I had my dad for a lot of it, he was my coach until I was 12 and both of my parents were very supportive of my career. It was kind of like just me and them for a very long time.

Some people say I’m contradicting myself because they think I’m a celebrity role model. But I don’t see myself as that. I don’t own 300 Bentleys and live in an 80 room mansion, I’m a real person. What I say and what I do is always from a real person’s point of view. I’m not interested in becoming famous, I just want to influence, help and inspire people.

Photo courtesy of RGK

Being comfortable in your own skin

I’m disabled and don’t look like Paris Hilton but I’m successful. It doesn’t matter who you are, what background you’re from, what shape and size you are, you can still be successful. You don’t have to look a certain way to fit into society.

Don’t dwell on things you can’t change and focus on the things you can change, like your success in your field or your attitude towards other people or yourself. I would like to help people see that.

If you listen to my story, I was bullied in school quite badly, I never grew to five foot and I don’t have nice legs. But I don’t worry about any of that because I can’t change that. When you do put that to one side and just focus on the things that matter, it’s so much better. Just focus on doing something you love. You might want to dance but you don’t think you’ve got the body to dance. If that’s what makes you happy, just go and dance. Who cares what people think?

Life outside of tennis

Monday to Friday, I train from about 10am-4pm. I get home late evening and then I’m pretty knackered to be honest! I do cook and bake a lot and if I have the time, I do grow my own vegetables. I just like doing normal, domestic stuff.

I’ve sung my whole life. There’s videos of me as a kid singing Spice Girls when I was five or six. When I was in my teens, I was obsessed with Shakira so I only used to sing her songs. As I grew up and my voice developed, it developed like Shakira’s voice! I’d really like to get into singing a bit more as I love it.

I wrote my own song about my boyfriend. For Christmas he bought me a package to go and record it professionally and put it on iTunes. It turned out a lot better than I thought it would. The song is actually really good. It’s kind of similar to Lukas Graham’s “Seven Years”. It’s not mushy, it’s about a real life relationship.

Jordanne is sharing her story as part of our 30 Under 30 campaign. We are releasing one story a day throughout June from disabled people under 30 who are doing extraordinary things. Read other stories from 30 Under 30.

Chris has spinal muscular atrophy and from a young age has been playing powerchair football. With the sport constantly changing, Chris is gearing up to represent England in the Powerchair Football World Cup next year.

As part of 30 Under 30, he tells us how the sport has changed and why people should get involved.

I’ve always been football mad.

At school I was playing on my knees in goal, driving around on the floor until my muscles deteriorated. Then I got involved in wheelchair football. I was at secondary school and my P.E. teacher heard about trials that were going on at Aston Villa at the time. I’d never heard of the sport, never seen the sport played. So I got the afternoon off school, went down and had a look. I used to play by perching on the end of my seat and kicking a ball around in the garden with my brother so it was a bit of a shock when I arrived.

Back then it was a great big football and half a car tyre strapped onto the front of the wheelchairs. I actually burst out in tears. I was like “This isn’t football. I don’t want to play this.” It was more like bumper cars than football. But my dad was there and he encouraged me to give it a go. I fell in love with it and I’ve not stopped playing since.

The sport has massively changed since I started playing

There’s a national programme, there’s two national leagues with 12 teams in each and there’s regional leagues. Back when I started there was no real backing, we played in everyday wheelchairs so it was just whatever you could ‘bodge job’ up to play. It wasn’t very professional. But now we’ve got specific chairs for the sport, specific equipment and a national league structure behind it.

Rather than the car tyre on the front of the chair, we’ve got a clip on attachment that’s a solid metal structure that you use to knock the ball around. The ball itself has gone down to half the size.

It’s given the sport a whole new lease of life. It’s quicker, it’s more enjoyable to watch. The ball gets kicked around with a lot more power so a lot of people that are watching are pretty gobsmacked when we’re smashing the ball around the court.

The game has been taken to a different level.

Representing England

My first involvement with the England team was in 2011. It’s all performance based. The coaching staff are all involved in the league so they’re just scouting the team, scouting the players. Then you get invited across for trials. And you’re just hoping to keep receiving an email saying “we’re inviting you back for the next one” and I’ve been in the squad ever since.

There’s been three World Cups now and 10 competing teams in each so far, from other counties world-wide. There’s been a qualification process to getting in the World Cup whereas before it was if you wanted to and if you’ve got the finances to do it. So now, fingers crossed, next year will be the most competitive World Cup to date. We had to qualify through a European qualifier.

It’s not a Paralympic sport yet but in 10 years’ time, I hope it will be. That will give it the bit of extra profile it needs and the professionalism it needs. It will allow people to view it as an elite sport rather than just an opportunity. Lots of people around it just see it as “oh great my son or daughter gets to play”, instead of “my son or daughter could be a gold medallist”. Fingers crossed that happens.

I would recommend it to anyone

At matches people can expect a lot of excitement. You get plenty of action. It’s kind of one of those sports that you have to see it to understand what it’s all about.

Fingers crossed, as it grows and we can open it up more to the general public, people will take a genuine interest and, fingers crossed, watch England win a World Cup.

I’ve always been quite a competitive person, so it gives me that opportunity to compete on a level playing field. Having the opportunity to grow as an athlete, being able to play in the World Cup and travel the world playing football, it’s been great. I would recommend it to anyone.

Sianagh Gallagher is a para-climber who climbs and competes for Great Britain. She was born without her left arm and shoulder but never let that hold her back. When she tried climbing, aged 10, she loved it and she’s gone on to win many national and international competitions.

As part of 30 Under 30, Sianagh shares her story and talks about attitudes, her passion for climbing and being inspired. We are also posting more photos of Sianagh in action on Instagram: @scopecharity.

I’ve been climbing for about 9 years now. When I was 10 my primary school started a climbing club. I said no at first because I thought climbing would be a bit out of my league, but they forced me to go, and I loved it.

At first it was quite daunting because climbing is such a unique sport and being a little kid – I was scared! But the first climb I did I got to the top, which was a huge achievement for me personally. I did it regularly after that. The high school I went to is attached to the gym where I climb, so I could get in for free every day after school.

I’ve had to develop my own style of climbing

For non-disabled people the rule is always have three points of contact on the wall, so obviously that doesn’t apply to me! It’s been quite good developing my own unique style. It’s taken a couple of years to really perfect it. At first I didn’t have a clue about climbing, I didn’t know the rules and regulations or how to climb as a good climber, but over the years I’ve developed my own technique and really got into it.

I’ve also learnt from climbing with friends. Then I’d look at people like Shauna Coxsey, who’s the world’s best boulderer, and she’s a huge inspiration. I’d look at other professional climbers to see how they climbed and when you climb with friends, you always compete to be better than them. It gets really fun!

Negative attitudes just make me more determined

Once when I was in year 8 or 9, there were 6 of us climbing with an instructor. You’re only allowed 6 people at one time so when a seventh person came we were like “Sorry, it’s busy, you can’t come in now”. Then they turned to me and said “Well she’s not going to do anything. She’s only got one arm. She can’t climb.” That was kind of an eye opener for me because I thought “Well, actually I can and I’m going to prove you very wrong.” It made me more determined to carry on.

Some people can be quite negative and quite closed-minded but those people don’t come around often. And when they do you’ve kind of just got to feel sorry for them because if they’re going out of their way to put other people down, they’re living quite a sad life really.

Then there’s the subtle kind of people who don’t necessarily mean to be mean, but they just don’t think outside the box. They just assume that disabled people don’t really do much with their lives. Often people are like “Wow, I was so impressed, when I saw you walking here I didn’t think you’d be able to do it.” And I’m like “Oh, thanks.”

When you’re around someone with a negative attitude it makes you a bit depressed, but when you’re around someone with a positive attitude, you want to be more like them. You want to look at life with life with as little negativity as possible.

The first time I competed I came first

The first competition I ever went to was in 2010. It was the first competition for disabled people that was ever run in the UK. My teacher from secondary school took me and I came first, which was huge. I thought “Wow, I can really get serious about this.”

I’ve done so many competitions since then. As the years went on the competitions became more serious and we developed a team for Great Britain. You have to go to these British competitions and try out for the team. I was too young the first time I tried, then the second time I tried I made the team. I think that was one of my biggest ever achievements. It was so amazing. It means that now I’ve got the opportunity to go to international competitions. Two years ago, I did the World Championships and came third. That was incredible – the first World Championships I’d been to and I made the podium.

I’m good friends with all the international climbers and chat to them on Facebook. Even though they’re your competitors. Then you meet people who have the same disability as you and it’s a massive learning curve because they might be able to climb higher than you so you know where to set your own standards.

We’re waiting to find out if climbing will be in the Paralympics 2020

Paraclimbing isn’t a Paralympic sport yet but we find out in August if we’ve been accepted into the Paralympics 2020. For the public, I think it would be amazing for them to be able to watch climbing and for it to get a lot of publicity. It’s such a huge sport but the highest you can go is the World Championships. It would be great to give it a step up and allow athletes to really train for something huge and get recognised like the should be, for doing such an amazing sport.

I always watch the Paralympics when it’s on. It’s such a big thing for disabled people to prove themselves, even if they don’t feel they should have to. People do generally have low expectations of disabled people and don’t know what they’re capable of. So when they go out there and they’re as good as, or sometimes better than, non-disabled people, it’s really inspiring for everyone. I get really inspired by other disabled athletes. If I see other athletes that are just so motivated and upbeat about the sport it makes me want to try harder.

What I love about climbing

Climbing is so unique. When you go to a climbing wall there’s always something different try. There’s always different routes, there’s always harder stuff and there’s always area for improvement. You can never be at your best, you can always work on little things and improve to become the best you want to be.

I teach kids how to climb and I really enjoy doing that. I think it’s nice for them to have a disabled person teaching them. At first you kind of get the stare, and they don’t know whether to ask or not, and then they do and they’re like “Why are you born with one arm?” and I’m like “Why are you born with two?” and they go “Oh yeah” and then they leave it and just act normally.

In the future, if climbing gets into the Paralympics I’d like to compete in that. If not, I’d like to be first in the World Championships. I think that would be amazing.

Paving the way for others

There are only a few para-climbers with only one arm, especially people like me who don’t have shoulders. A lot of people have stumps with they can use when they’re climbing. There’s a guy who’s the same as me, but no female climbers yet.

It’s still crazy thinking that people might be inspired by me. I just climb because I love it. When people look at you as an inspiration you think “What have I really done to deserve it?” but it’s a good feeling.